RP Post: The Wheelbarrow

The wooden wheelbarrow creaked softly as Cassidy shifted her elbows, chin propped in her hands, legs swinging lazily behind her. The sun was warm on her back and the garden smelled like fresh dirt and dandelions. All around her, little yellow chicks scurried like tiny wind-up toys—chirping, wobbling, running in crooked lines that made her smile without even trying.

One chick had climbed onto her, bold as anything. He was perched on the small of her back, chest puffed up like a king on his throne, peeping with great importance as he surveyed the yard from his new height. Cassidy didn’t dare move. She wanted to see what he’d do next. He was a little like her, she thought—quiet but curious, watching more than talking.

Earlier, she’d asked Uncle Kiel if they could take the chicks on the bus. They were small. There was plenty of room between the beanbags and the bookshelf. But Uncle Kiel had just chuckled and told her, kindly, that chicks don’t stay chicks for long. They grow into chickens, and chickens like their grass and open sky. Cassidy had nodded, slow and understanding. Still, a part of her hoped this one—Captain Chick, she’d decided—might visit again. Maybe just for a little ride someday, if he promised not to peep too loud.